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Window Functions Questions

SQL window functions

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16 views

Window Functions Questions

SQL window functions

Uploaded by

sri
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Window Function in SQL

1. What is a window function in SQL, and how does it differ from an


aggregate function?

Answer:

● Window Function: Performs a calculation across a set of rows that are related to the
current row, without collapsing the result into a single row.
● Aggregate Function: Aggregates multiple rows into a single output (e.g., SUM(),
AVG()).

Example:

SELECT name, salary, AVG(salary) OVER () AS avg_salary


FROM employees;

This calculates the average salary without collapsing rows.

2. Explain the use of ROW_NUMBER() in SQL and provide an example of


when you would use it.

Answer:

● ROW_NUMBER() assigns a unique sequential integer to rows within a partition, starting


from 1 for each partition.

Example: Find the top 3 highest-paid employees in each department.

SELECT name, department, salary,


ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary
DESC) AS rank
FROM employees
WHERE rank <= 3;

3. How do RANK() and DENSE_RANK() differ in SQL? When would you use
each one?

Answer:
Window Function in SQL
● RANK(): Assigns a rank with gaps in ranking for ties.
● DENSE_RANK(): Assigns rank without gaps.

Example:

RANK Example
SELECT name, salary, RANK() OVER (ORDER BY salary DESC) AS salary_rank
FROM employees;

DENSE_RANK Example
SELECT name, salary, DENSE_RANK() OVER (ORDER BY salary DESC) AS
salary_rank FROM employees;

4. Can you explain the purpose of PARTITION BY in a window function, and


how it affects the result?

Answer:

● PARTITION BY divides the result set into partitions and applies the window function
within each partition.

Example:

SELECT name, department, salary,


RANK() OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary DESC) AS
department_rank
FROM employees;

This ranks employees within each department separately.

5. What is the difference between LAG() and LEAD() functions? How would
you use them in a real-world scenario?

Answer:

● LAG(): Returns the value of the preceding row.


● LEAD(): Returns the value of the following row.
Window Function in SQL
Example: Comparing each month’s sales with the previous month.

SELECT month, sales,


LAG(sales, 1) OVER (ORDER BY month) AS previous_month_sales
FROM sales_data;

6. How can you calculate a running total (cumulative sum) using a window
function in SQL?

Answer: You can use SUM() with OVER() clause.

Example:

SELECT name, salary,


SUM(salary) OVER (ORDER BY salary) AS running_total
FROM employees;

7. Write a query to calculate the moving average of sales over the last 3
months for each product.

Answer:

SELECT product_id, month, sales,


AVG(sales) OVER (PARTITION BY product_id ORDER BY month ROWS 2
PRECEDING) AS moving_avg
FROM sales_data;

This calculates a 3-month moving average (current month and 2 preceding months).

8. How would you calculate the percentage of total for each row using a
window function?

Answer:

SELECT name, salary,


Window Function in SQL
salary * 100.0 / SUM(salary) OVER () AS percent_of_total
FROM employees;

9. Explain the use of NTILE() function in SQL and provide an example


where it can be applied.

Answer:

● NTILE() divides rows into a specified number of roughly equal-sized buckets.

Example: Divide employees into 4 salary quartiles.

SELECT name, salary, NTILE(4) OVER (ORDER BY salary) AS


salary_quartile
FROM employees;

10. What is the difference between OVER() with PARTITION BY and OVER()
with ORDER BY?

Answer:

● PARTITION BY: Groups rows into partitions where the window function is applied
independently.
● ORDER BY: Orders rows within a partition to apply the window function.

Example:

SELECT name, salary, SUM(salary) OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER


BY salary) AS running_total
FROM employees;

11. How would you calculate the first and last value in a partitioned dataset
using window functions?

Answer: You can use FIRST_VALUE() and LAST_VALUE() functions.


Window Function in SQL
Example:

SELECT name, salary,


FIRST_VALUE(salary) OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY
salary) AS first_salary,
LAST_VALUE(salary) OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY
salary) AS last_salary
FROM employees;

12. How can window functions help in calculating year-over-year growth in


a time series dataset?

Answer: You can use LAG() to compare the current year’s sales with the previous year.

Example:

SELECT year, sales,


(sales - LAG(sales, 1) OVER (ORDER BY year)) / LAG(sales, 1)
OVER (ORDER BY year) * 100 AS yoy_growth
FROM sales_data;

13. Given a table of employee salaries, how would you rank employees by
salary within each department using window functions?

Answer:

sql
Copy code
SELECT name, department, salary,
RANK() OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary DESC) AS
department_rank
FROM employees;
Window Function in SQL
14. What are the performance considerations when using window functions
in large datasets, and how can you optimize them?

Answer:

● Performance Considerations:
○ Window functions can be computationally expensive on large datasets.
○ Sorting large partitions can be costly.
● Optimization:
○ Ensure indexes are on partitioning and ordering columns.
○ Minimize the number of rows in partitions.
○ Use ROWS instead of RANGE when possible for performance gains.

15. How can you use window functions to identify duplicate rows or
records based on specific criteria?

Answer: You can use ROW_NUMBER() to identify duplicates.

Example:

WITH CTE AS (
SELECT name, salary, ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY name, salary
ORDER BY name) AS row_num
FROM employees
)
SELECT * FROM CTE WHERE row_num > 1;

This identifies duplicate rows based on the name and salary columns.

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